you are the best one of the best ones
by coffeehelps
Summary: Kim and Adam finally get their happy ending. Burzek, future AU


**Sorry not sorry, but Adam has totally been in boyfriend mode for like all of season 5. Kim just needs to admit it already and they need to get back together and live happily ever after. But, you know, in the mean time, I'm going to write this. Flashbacks are in italics.**

 **Fair warning: I just started watching Chicago Fire (mostly because I was wanted to watch something while I was waiting for Chicago PD to come back on February 28** **th** **). I'm only five episodes into the first season, but I did take the liberty of borrowing a few characters from the show. I apologize if they characters are a little off. Some of the pairings just kind of popped into my head and wouldn't go away. (You'll also notice the name Shae mentioned later on in this story. It's spelled differently on purpose, to look like more of a first name instead of a last name.)**

 **Also, I started writing this before 5x15. So this is canon up to 5x14—anything after is AU. You could say that this takes place approximately four years after the beginning of season 5.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything. The story title comes from the song "Stolen" by Dashboard Confessional.**

* * *

 **one.**

Kim woke up when she felt a little palm slap against her cheek.

She slowly became aware of her surroundings as she continued to wake up. She had always been slow to become fully alert in the mornings, and that certainly hadn't changed as she got older. Kim had never claimed to be a morning person, and it was something that amused her family to no end.

Kim first noticed the slight, warm weight on her chest, in addition to the little hand on her cheek. She felt the mattress dip under the weight of the body next to her, heard the deep chuckle rumble from his chest.

"Little man, when I told you to wake Mommy up, I didn't mean for you to hit her in the face."

Finally managing to pry her eyes open, Kim was first greeted with the bright, chubby face of her son. Brown eyes shined down at her face, and tufts of unruly blonde hair were sticking up all over his head. A toothy little smile parted his lips, making Kim's own lift up in return.

Glancing up, she saw Adam hovering over both of them. He had clearly woken up just a few minutes before her: his hair, still a little longer on top than it was on the sides, was sticking up in a hundred different directions, and his brown eyes—identical to the ones her son had—were dancing with amusement.

"I'm glad you think this is funny," Kim stated dryly.

Adam's grin widened. "Well, I thought I'd get a better reaction out of you if I let the kid wake you up."

Kim spread her hand over her baby's back, holding him to her. "You know exactly how I like to be woken up, Ruzek."

Adam's eyes widened dramatically, and he affected an innocent look. "Not in front of the baby, Kim. Are you trying to corrupt me?"

"Ha!" Kim sat up and adjusted the baby so that he was facing his father. "I'm pretty sure you're the one who corrupted me, Adam." Grinning, she pressed her lips to her son's cheek and blew a low raspberry. The sound of his delighted giggle filled the room. "Isn't that right, Nate?"

Nathaniel Kevin Ruzek was the little guy's name, and he was already well on his way to becoming a charmer. He loved just about everyone in his life, but his absolute three favorite people in the whole world were his mother, his father, and his namesake, Kevin.

(It was one of Atwater's favorite ways to get a rise out of Adam. He constantly teased Adam, saying that Adam's own son liked him better. Adam fell for it every single time.)

Reaching out, Adam touched his fingers to Kim's cheek before he ran his hand over Nate's little head. "I'll get breakfast started for all of us."

With a smile and a quick, tender kiss to Kim's lips, Adam climbed out of bed. Kim watched, checking him out unashamedly as he pulled a sweatshirt over his bare chest. Adam grinned at her over his shoulder; he totally knew that she was checking him out. Even after nearly three years of marriage, she couldn't help herself.

Kim settled back into bed, deciding to relax with Nate for as long as she could before she joined Adam in the kitchen. Other than making the coffee, she wouldn't be much in the way of helping—Kim was hardly an expert in the kitchen. Adam, on the other hand, had become quite the gourmet chef. It amused Kim to no end, and she would tease him more if she didn't enjoy his cooking so damn much.

When the smell of bacon cooking wafted up the stairs and Kim's stomach grumbled loudly, she knew that she couldn't stay in bed any longer. Clad in sleeping shorts and one of Adam's old CPD shirts, Kim climbed out of bed and propped her son on her hip. He immediately grabbed onto the ends of her hair, and despite the tugging, Kim laughed. The little guy had an obsession with her hair, much like his father.

Looking over his shoulder, Adam couldn't help the way his heart skipped a beat when he saw his wife enter, barefoot, wearing one of his shirts, and holding their son. It was a sight that he would never get tired of, and he was thankful that he got to have it every morning.

Deciding it was too early in the morning to be that much of a sap, Adam chuckled instead. "I knew the smell of bacon would get your ass out of bed."

Kim rolled her eyes as she expertly measured out the appropriate amount of coffee grounds with one hand. She got the coffee maker started and then retrieved a bottle for Nate. He still took a bottle in the morning and one at night, but for most part, the eleven-month old was an avid eater.

Adam slid a plate with a mushroom and spinach omelet, along with a side of bacon and fruit, towards her. Kim smiled up at him, blowing a kiss his way as she shifted Nate in her arms, holding him so that she could still feed him while she ate her own food.

Kim's ability to simultaneously eat and feed Nate was something that she had perfected over the past eleven months, and it continued to amaze Adam. It was skill that he still hadn't quite picked up on. Kim had caught him when he had accidentally dropped pepperoni on Nate's head while trying to eat pizza and feed Nate at the same time.

Thankfully, Kim had found it more amusing than anything else. She had totally told everyone about it at the twenty-first, though. Platt still gave him shit for it.

"What time do we need to head over to Dawson's again?" Adam asked as he sat at the table with his own plate. He pushed a mug full of coffee towards Kim, and it never failed to send a little thrill through her that even after all this time, he made it just the way she liked it: with enough hazelnut creamer that it barely even looked like coffee anymore.

"About three o'clock," Kim reminded him. "Which gives me just enough time to shower and bake the cookies."

Adam might have been a master in the kitchen with making food in general, but Kim could bake like there was no tomorrow. Sure, she could only really handle boiling water for pasta and making eggs, but when it came to baking, it was like she was some kind of savant. There was nothing that Kim couldn't handle, and when she found a recipe she liked, it came out perfect every single time.

Adam shot her a heated look. "Do you think you've got time for me to join you in that shower?" A slow smile spread over Kim's lips. "I think I might be able to work you in."

* * *

 _Kim had no idea when it had happened, but it appeared that she and Adam were… dating._

 _Sure, they had slept together after that case where her CI had gotten murdered. And after they found Atwater, they had fallen into bed that night once again. They hadn't slept together since then, but they had been seeing a lot more of one another._

 _Kim didn't realize that it was happening, at first. One night, not long after they found Atwater at that church, Adam had shown up at her door with some Chinese takeout. She had wanted to send him away, because after everything they had been through, Adam still made her nervous. She didn't know if she could control herself around him, and that scared her._

 _Life suddenly seemed full of possibilities for the two of them once again, and she wanted to run in the opposite direction._

 _Another part of her—a louder part that she spent too much time trying to silence—wanted to let Adam back into her life with open arms. On that first night, with him standing in her doorway with a hopeful smile on his face, that was the part of her that had won out._

 _So Kim had stepped aside and allowed Adam in. They ate their food and watched a movie, and he left with a kiss to her cheek after that. It left Kim feeling confused and unsure of why she had wanted to ask him to stay._

 _Maybe once a week after that, Adam would show up at her apartment with food. When they couldn't take time at home because of a case that kept them busy, he would bring her coffee—how the man managed to find her a pumpkin spice latte (her favorite kind of specialty drink) in the middle of January was beyond her. But he did, and she drank them with him sitting across from her, pretending not to notice the affectionate smiles he sent her… and trying her very hardest to return them only when he wasn't looking. Whenever he brought her food or coffee, he would press a brief kiss to her cheek, and it made Kim's heart skip a beat every time._

 _It went on like that, until Kim had shown up at his apartment for a change. She was holding a box of his favorite pizza and was as apprehensive as he must have been when he had first started this little ritual. She was interrupting the unspoken agreement they had, and she wasn't sure how he would react._

 _It turned out that Kim had nothing to be worried about. Adam had opened the door, smiled at her, and pulled her in as he offered her a beer. Later, after they had devoured the entire pizza and two six-packs of beer, Kim had passed out on his couch._

 _When she woke up the next morning, Kim had discovered that she was alone in Adam's bed. She had ventured out into the living room and saw signs that Adam had clearly spent the night on his own couch. He was in the kitchen, cooking up some eggs exactly the way she liked them. He smiled at her, teased her about her bed head, and plied her with eggs, bacon, and coffee until she stopped feeling embarrassed._

 _They kept going on like that, which brought Kim to her current moment of realization: she and Adam were basically dating._

 _Kim hadn't even entertained the idea of dating anyone else since she had broken up with Matt earlier that year. Truth be told, she had only agreed to go out with him because she wanted to know what it was like to date someone other than a cop. She had been tired of those feelings for Adam that had never really went away lingering under the surface, so she had been desperate for a distraction. Sure, part of her had really liked Matt; he was so different from anyone she had dated in the past, especially Adam. In the end, even though the relationship hadn't exactly ended of her own volition, Kim had realized that it hadn't been what she really wanted._

 _When she was with Adam, things were simple—well, as simple as they could be when she was with her ex-fiancé, anyway. There had always been an ease when she was with Adam. She could talk to him, tell him exactly what was on her mind in a way that she really couldn't with anyone else. It was nice to have that again, and Kim cherished that connection._

 _She was sitting on the couch with Adam, full and pleasantly tired after she had finished the Thai takeout that Adam had brought over. Her head was resting against his shoulder, his arm wrapped comfortably around hers, and she was dozing on and off as they watched a hockey game._

 _Adam brushed her hair back from her forehead and dropped a tender, absent-minded kiss against her temple. At first, Kim didn't really give the gesture much thought. Adam was always kissing her cheek when they left, and she had even taken to doing the same to thank him for bringing her food or coffee. Those tender, secret little touches were becoming more and more frequent between the two of them._

 _Something was jump-started in Kim when she felt his lips brush her temple, however. She bolted straight up, staring at Adam with wide eyes. He jerked, unsure of why she suddenly wasn't in his arms anymore. They stared at one another, neither of them saying anything._

 _"Kim?" Adam finally prompted when another long beat of awkward silence had passed. His hand fell to her knee as she spoke, and her eyes zeroed in on the touch._

 _"What the hell are we doing, Adam?" Kim asked. "I mean…" She gestured between them, and then to the food cartons that were spread out over her coffee table. "We've been doing this for months. Maybe I'm over-thinking this, or something, but it's almost like we're… dating again!"_

 _Adam shrugged his shoulders. "Would it be so bad if we were again?"_

 _"Yes! No! I don't know! Adam…" Kim tore her eyes away from his hand on her knee and finally looked at his face. He was watching her, his gaze imploring, unsure, and somehow full of hope all at the same time. "I can't go through what we did the last time. I just… I don't think I could handle it."_

 _"Okay. So it'll be different, this time."_

 _"You can't just say that!"_

 _"Why can't I?" Now, Adam was starting to look a little frustrated. There was a spark of anger in his eyes, one that she hadn't seen in a very long time. In the back of her mind, she knew that it wasn't exactly directed at her. Still, she knew that she was at least partially responsible for that anger's presence._

 _"Because!" Kim threw her hands up in the air. She was extremely aware of the fact that Adam was still touching her, and it was maddeningly distracting. "We didn't exactly talk to each other last time, Adam! It was like we got engaged and completely forgot how to communicate with one another!"_

 _"Hey!" Now Adam drew away from her, and hurt mingled with the anger on his face. "I wasn't the only one who was lacking in the communication department, if you'll recall. I'm pretty sure you're the one who broke off our engagement without any explanation, Kim."_

 _That was a low blow, but Kim knew that Adam was right. "I know," she whispered. It killed her to see that hurt and pain on his face. "I know."_

 _She hadn't planned on hashing this all out tonight, but maybe they needed it. They had been years overdue for this conversation, and she wanted him too much not to have it. They needed to start with a clean slate; obviously, they couldn't forget what they had already gone through, but they had to acknowledge it and move on. Together._

 _"Damn it, Kim." Adam dragged his hands through his hair. "I'm trying, here. I really am."_

 _And he was. Kim hadn't realized it, at first, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that he really had been trying. He was always talking to her, asking her about how she was feeling and offering up advice or just a shoulder to lean on in general. The easy, comforting touches had returned, and she always felt the looks he gave her like a caress against her skin._

 _He was making an effort, and Kim didn't want to take it for granted._

 _"I just… I'm scared, Adam," Kim admitted softly. It was probably the most difficult, painful thing to admit. After her sister's assault the year before, Kim had tried her very hardest to steel herself against all of the difficult things she knew that she was going to face in Intelligence. She didn't want to wear her heart on her sleeve anymore, but it seemed like she hadn't really succeeded—and it also seemed like it wasn't really a bad thing. This team needed a heart, someone to remind them that no matter what, they were fighting for the greater good. Kim wanted to be that person, if they'd let her._

 _She had attempted to open herself up to Adam when she had been with him before, but she wasn't sure how much she had really, truly, tried. She had always gone to other people when she felt she had a problem with Adam, always sought out rather poor advice from others. This time, as much as it terrified her, it would be different. It had to be; otherwise her heart couldn't handle it._

 _Reaching out, Adam took her face in his hands. His calloused thumbs stroked over her cheeks and Kim closed her eyes as she leaned into his touch. Her stomach dipped in that wonderful way, just as it always did with anticipation just before Adam's lips touched hers._

 _"I know, darlin'," Adam whispered. Kim's heart skipped a beat at the sweet, familiar endearment. "But we can do this. I know we can."_

 _And then he kissed her._

* * *

 **two.**

"Damn it." Adam cursed again as he tried to shoulder the diaper bag and collapse the stroller at the same time. "You know, they don't tell you how much shit you need when you have a baby."

Kim had given up on trying to curb Adam's cursing around the baby a long time ago. She had been sure that their son's first word was going to be some form of a four-letter expletive. Nate's first, actual word (other than "Da!" and "Ma!") had been "duck." Kim was still convinced that he had actually been trying to say "fuck."

I'm sorry," Kim teased as she hefted Nate's car seat out of the truck. "Who was the one that wanted the top of the line stroller again?"

As always, Adam fell back to his old argument. "I wanted it to be safe! This stroller got the best review on consumer reports, and you know it!"

Kim bit back her smile as she followed Adam into Dawson's backyard. Adam was such a dedicated father, and it always made Kim fall in love with him just a little bit more when he worried over their son. It was actually sort of cute to watch him analyze every single thing they bought for Nate. Antonio assured them that Adam's need to triple-check everything would pass, but Kim was kind of hoping that it wouldn't. The papa bear look was a good one for Adam.

Cheers rose up from the crowd as the family of three entered the backyard. Everyone was there: Antonio and his fiancée, Sylvie Brett, Erin and Jay, Alvin, Hank, Hailey and Severide, Atwater and his very pregnant wife Elise, Gabby and Casey, and Platt and Mouch.

Atwater immediately crossed Dawson's backyard and scooped Nate out of Kim's arms. Nate gave him a big, toothy grin laughed loudly when Atwater blew a raspberry on his little belly. Nate pressed his little hands to Atwater's cheeks, letting out another laugh when Atwater made a face at him.

"It's about time my favorite guy got here," Atwater said. "Your parents are slowpokes, little bro."

Adam made a scoffing noise as he wrapped an arm around Kim's waist and tugged her towards him. She went willingly into his arms, smiling when he dropped a kiss to her temple before he began to rag on his partner.

"Wait until you have your kid, Kev," Adam stated. "It takes forever to pack up all that crap."

Atwater rolled his eyes. "It takes forever because you play damn Tetris trying to pack it all up."

Kim had to stifle her giggle behind her hand at Atwater's comment. It was true—Adam had a very meticulous, specific way of packing the car whenever they went somewhere. In the end, though, it was usually Kim who held them up. She had to triple-check her list to make sure that they had everything they needed.

"It's new parent syndrome," Dawson said as he joined their little group. He clapped Adam on the shoulder and kissed Kim's cheek in greeting. "They'll get over it eventually, and then it'll be your turn, Atwater."

Atwater rolled his eyes again, but he relinquished his godson when Dawson held his arms out for him. Nate, used to being passed around from person to person, gleefully went into Dawson's arms and immediately began to play with the chain around his neck. Nate enjoyed being around other people, adults and children alike. It was clear that he was going to be a people person when he was older—just like his father.

"Elise has already started," Atwater revealed. "She's had the bag packed for the hospital for months, now. And she keeps adding to it."

"Kim told me she was pregnant and then immediately packed her bag for the hospital," Adam told them. "And she made me memorize everything that was in it."

Kim crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, annoyed that he had revealed one of her more crazy pregnant moments. As soon as the words left his mouth, Adam seemed to realize his mistake. He gave her a sheepish smile before he squeezed the arm he had around her waist and pressed a tender kiss to her lips.

Still, that didn't stop Kim from being devious and revealing her own little piece of information. "Just wait until Elise goes into labor, Kevin. You better hope that it's not in the middle of the night, like I did with Nate. This one," she pointed to Adam, "tried to put his shirt on as pants, he was so confused."

Instead of getting embarrassed, Adam just grinned. "I figured it out eventually," he said cheerfully. Releasing Kim, he playfully punched Atwater in the shoulder. "Let's go get a beer, man. I need to share some wisdom on how to handle a pregnant wife with you."

"Oh, handle?" Kim called after Adam. There was no real anger in her voice, however; she was just teasing him, and he knew it. He looked over his shoulder at her and winked, and it made Kim's heart skip a beat.

She didn't even realize that her now libidinous thoughts were clear on her face until Dawson cleared his throat and covered Nate's eyes with his hand.

"Jeez, Burgess," Dawson teased. "Cool it down, will you? Your kid is present."

Kim couldn't help the blush that formed on her cheeks, nor could she stop the small chuckle at the mention of her maiden name. Kim was going by Kim Burgess-Ruzek, but they had all agreed that having two Ruzeks would be too confusing, and saying Burgess-Ruzek was too much a of a mouthful to use in the field. So everyone at the twenty-first still referred to her as Burgess while they were on a case; in less stressful situations, however, they called her Burgess-Ruzek when they weren't using her first name.

(Kim was a little embarrassed to admit that she still got a little thrill whenever someone called her Burgess-Ruzek.)

Dawson was still her partner, and Voight still ran their team. Kim had been put to a desk up in Intelligence once she and Adam had announced her pregnancy, and she had stayed there up until Nate had been about eight months old. Slowly but surely, Kim was getting back out onto the streets of Chicago, working active Intelligence cases out on the front lines.

Sometimes, it still surprised her how hard it was to leave Nate at daycare while she and Adam went out on a case. Voight was really good with letting them switch off if they were really deep in a case, because at one point, he had known what it was like to have a baby at home to take care of. He didn't want Adam and Kim to miss out on what he had missed while he had been raising Justin. Voight had been a godsend since Nate had been born.

It was a little easier to leave him at daycare, knowing that it was run by people that they trusted. The daycare was specifically for kids who had parents that worked at the CPD, the CFD, and Chicago Med. Each teacher was someone that knew an officer, a firefighter, a doctor, or a nurse, and they had been extensively reviewed. It made Adam and Kim's jobs easier, knowing that they had people they trusted implicitly watching their son.

Nate was content with his Uncle Antonio, so Kim grabbed a beer and headed over to the table where Erin, Hailey, Gabby, Platt, Brett, and Elise were sitting. The boys had started up a game of horseshoes, which all the women had agreed they found completely boring. It was much more fun to drink too much beer and gossip, even though they would never admit it if anyone had asked outright.

"How many weeks do you have left?" Erin was asking Elise.

Elise rubbed her protruding belly before she set her bottle of water on top of it. "I still have eight weeks left, if you can believe it. This little guy or girl is going to be a giant, just like their father."

Hailey shook her head while she looked at Elise in amazement. "I can't believe that you didn't want to find out if you were having a boy or a girl. That would drive me crazy."

"Kevin and I agreed that we wanted to be surprised," Elise said with a shrug of her shoulders. "We'll just be happy that she or he is healthy and has all ten fingers and toes."

Kim was still incredibly happy for her best friend and his wife. Elise Mills had returned to Chicago with her brother, Peter, from North Carolina. It turned out that Peter couldn't quite stay away from the thrill of being a paramedic. After a few years in North Carolina with his mother, Peter had decided that he had wanted to return to Chicago and rejoin Firehouse 51. Elise had wanted a change of scenery and had joined her bother; in the end, she met Kevin and had a whirlwind romance. After less than a year of dating, they had married. Four months later, Elise and Kevin and announced that they were going to have a baby.

"You found out what you were having, didn't you?" Gabby asked, directing her question at Kim. She and Casey had a two year old daughter named Shae, and she was the light of their lives. After everything that Casey and Gabby had been through, Shae was a blessing. Given what had happened in the past, Gabby had planned for Shae's arrival as much as she could: she found out that she was having a girl, she picked a name out with Casey, they decorated the nursery, and she had put herself on a self-imposed bed rest until her doctor had declared she had a viable pregnancy that would go to full term. Normally, Gabby was a take the bull by the horns kind of girl, but with this pregnancy, she had been extremely cautious. She wasn't sure who had been more thrilled when Shae had been born: her, Casey, or Severide.

"I did," Kim admitted sheepishly. Originally, she and Adam had wanted to keep it a surprise. After lasting for five months, Kim couldn't take it anymore. During one of her checkups, she had demanded that the doctor tell her what the sex of their baby was. Adam had told her from the beginning that he was good either way—he didn't mind if they knew or not.

When Kim had declared that she wanted to be surprised, Adam had only chuckled, but said nothing else. He knew his wife well, and had a sneaking suspicion that she wouldn't last all nine months. The hundred bucks he had won from Atwater, Dawson, and Halstead had been well worth it when Kim had finally cracked and demanded to know whether or not they were having a boy or a girl.

"All of these babies," Erin muttered as she shared a look with Hailey. "We better watch what we're drinking." Hailey nodded her head in agreement and snuck a look at Severide, who had been blatantly checking her out from his spot with the other guys.

Erin had been gone for two years when she suddenly showed up at Voight's on Christmas morning and never left. It had been a long road back for her, and that was only within the twenty-first—her credentials with the FBI had gone a long way in getting her position in Intelligence reinstated. Even so, Erin still had to start back on patrol. It had only been within the last six months that she had started working with Intelligence once again. She had to go through extensive therapy and training in order to avoid another incident that had caused her to leave in the first place, as well.

The road to her relationship with Jay had been even harder. After she had left and then returned so suddenly, Jay had—understandably—had a hard time trusting Erin. He didn't even speak to her the first three months she had been back. Slowly but surely, however, they had gained their friendship back. Then, a year after she had returned, on New Year's Day, he had kissed her. Jay and Erin had been dating, taking things slowly and just relearning the new people that they were. It was slow going, but they were happy. Erin had already promised, over and over again, that she didn't plan on leaving ever again. Jay was beginning to realize that she was telling the truth.

When Erin had returned, Hailey hadn't really known what Voight was going to do. She knew that there was always going to be a spot for Erin Lindsay in Intelligence, as long as Voight was heading the department. She had no idea that Voight would simply expand the department and decide to keep them all. They were a family, after all. Who was he to separate them?

So Hailey continued to work in Intelligence, with Jay as her partner. The two of them had adopted a brother and sister sort of relationship, much like Kim and Kevin. It was only when they had worked a case that involved Firehouse 51 that she had met Kelly Severide. Their connection had been intense and automatic—and it had surprised everyone, including Hailey and Kelly themselves. Given Kelly's past, they had been taking it slow and easy. It was going well between the detective and the lieutenant, and everyone was hoping for a happy ending between the two.

"Oh please," Gabby said as she rolled her eyes. "If anyone is going to get pregnant again, it's Kim. Who knew that you would enjoy pregnancy so much?"

Kim snorted. While it was true that she enjoyed being pregnant—much to her surprise—it had been Adam who really got into it. "I think you mean that Adam liked it when I was pregnant."

Adam hadn't been able to keep his hands off of her while she had been pregnant. Kim had been delightfully surprised, and it had helped keep her confidence during her pregnancy. Still, she was enjoying having just Nate, and she was determined to keep any siblings he had somewhat evenly spaced. The little guy wasn't even a year old, yet. They still had some time before they gave Nate a brother or sister.

Kim knew that as soon as she gave Adam the go-ahead, it wouldn't be long before she was pregnant once again. The man was nothing if not determined.

* * *

 _Stretching on the couch, Kim burrowed further under the blanket she had covered herself with and pressed her face into the pillow under cheek. She had stolen the pillow from Adam's bed, so of course it smelled like him. After the rough week at work she had, it was nice to take the comfort from his familiar scent._

 _Adam had gotten stuck at the station to fill out some paperwork, so Kim had gone back to his apartment and had settled in for a quiet night until he returned. She had ordered some Chinese food and was keeping it warm until Adam came back. In the meantime, she had no problem lounging on his couch, watching a movie, until he came returned._

 _Kim heard the jingle of keys in the hallway outside of the apartment before the door swung open. She sat up on the couch, the blanket falling away from her body, smiling brightly in greeting. It wasn't Adam that she saw enter the living room, however._

 _It was Kevin and Jay._

 _She stared at them, and they stared at her. She supposed it must have been comical; the three of them stayed frozen, staring at one another with the same wide-eyed, surprised expression on their faces._

 _Finally, Jay cleared his throat. "Well. We certainly weren't expecting this."_

 _Kim shifted on the couch and felt an embarrassed flush touch her cheeks. She was modestly covered in one of Adam's old CPD t-shirts and a pair of her own sleeping shorts. Even so, there was something intimate about wearing Adam's clothes in front of other people—especially people that they worked with._

 _It wasn't like the last time. Kim and Adam weren't keeping their relationship a secret on purpose. They knew that Voight would keep them both as long as their relationship didn't get in the way of their work, and they respected that. Still, it was new, and they wanted to have some time together as a couple before they let everyone else in on their renewed relationship status._

 _It seemed that the cat was out of the bag now, however._

 _Kim managed a smile for her friends. "What are you guys doing here?"_

 _Kevin grinned at her, and there was an annoyingly knowing spark in his eyes. "We were all doing paperwork, but Ruzek offered to finish up and sent us on our way to get dinner so we could come back and here and watch the game. I take it he didn't know that you were going to be here, then?"_

 _"No," Kim admitted. Of course, on the one night she had decided to surprise him, Adam had made plans with the boys. She wrapped the blanket around her body once again. "I was going to surprise him."_

 _"So." Now that Jay had gotten over the shock of finding Kim in Adam's apartment, he looked amused. His lips tilted up with a smirk, and it made Kim wonder how Hailey put up with it. "How long has this been going on?"_

 _Huffing in annoyance, Kim crossed her arms over her chest. Both Kevin and Jay looked too superior and knowing for her liking. It was almost as if they had expected this to happen at some point, and they were taking great pleasure in the fact that they had caught her in Adam's apartment, wearing his clothes._

 _Still, Kim knew that their teasing came from a good, caring place, and she actually appreciated it—not that she would ever admit it to them._

 _"Just a little over two months," Kim told them. "We were trying to keep it quiet, because it's still new. You know."_

 _"Is it?" Jay asked. He peered at Kim with eyes that were too knowing. He knew exactly what it was like to be in love with a coworker, and it was safe to say that the ending of his story was just as sad as Adam and Kim's. At least Adam and Kim had gotten a second chance at happiness—she had no idea if Jay would ever get that chance._

 _"It's true," Kevin added when Kim didn't immediately respond. "Adam has been in boyfriend mode ever since you came back from helping your sister."_

 _Kim knew that it was true, but she couldn't help but wonder if everyone in Intelligence knew that she and Adam were back together once again. It was entirely possible that they were simply trying to play nice and appease both her and Adam by pretending that they didn't know they were in a relationship._

 _"Do you love him?" Jay suddenly asked. The question caught Kim off guard, and she stared at Jay with wide eyes. "Because you didn't see him after you broke off the engagement, Kim. He was… he was a wreck. I don't think he ever really recovered from it."_

 _Once again, Kim was reminded of the pain that she and Adam had caused one another because they had refused to communicate. They had both handled it in completely different ways: Adam had completely shut himself off, while Kim had sought comfort in the arms of someone who had never really cared about her in the first place. It still tore at her to think about it, but both she and Adam had vowed to learn from their mistakes._

 _They forced themselves to talk, now, even when they didn't want to. Communication was the name of the game. After a particularly difficult case, of if they had a hard day, or even if they had a disagreement, Kim and Adam made sure that they would always talk about it before they went to bed._

 _Sometimes, it took minutes to talk through their issues, whatever they were. Sometimes, it took hours. No matter what, they made sure to talk it out, and Kim had to admit that their relationship was better than it ever could have been because of their new talking rule. They never went to bed angry at one another, no matter how long it took to resolve their problems. Their new, more adult outlook on their relationship was showing, and they were happier._

 _"I do," Kim admitted, quietly. For once, Jay and Kevin didn't look surprised by that information. Still, that didn't stop Kim from thrusting a threatening finger in their direction. "But don't you dare tell him. I haven't said anything to him about it, yet."_

 _Kevin held up his hands in surrender. "Don't worry about it, girl. There's no way we want to get involved in your relationship drama."_

 _Kim rolled her eyes and accepted the beer he offered her. "I can't wait until you start dating, Atwater."_

 _With her beer in hand, Kim went into Adam's bedroom and changed into the jeans and a tank top she had been originally wearing. She went back into the living room, where she turned on the football game and invited Kevin and Jay to stay with her. She ordered extra Chinese food and sent Kevin out for extra beer, just in case they needed it. They had a blast together, and when Adam showed up an hour later, the surprised look on his face was quite hilarious._

 _"Kim was going to surprise you," Jay supplied when Adam walked into his apartment with his mouth hanging wide open. When he had invited his friends over to watch the game with him, he had no idea that he was going to find this. "But we decided to crash the party."_

 _"Oh really?" Adam arched an eyebrow in Kim's direction, and she gave him a sheepish smile before she got off the couch and crossed the living room. She pressed a kiss to his lips, smiling when he gripped her hips and held her to him, even after she pulled away._

 _"Yes, really," Kim answered. "They figured it all out."_

 _"You have half an hour before the game officially begins," Kevin declared. He grinned at Adam. "So you better get your shit situated before then."_

 _It was Kevin and Jay's way of giving Kim and Adam some alone time, and they were certainly going to take advantage of it. Adam extended his hand towards Kim, and she took it, blushing and smiling the entire time. He led her into his bedroom, and she tried to pretend that he didn't' smirk when he noticed she had stolen his pillow from his bed._

 _"So," Adam began as he leaned against his dresser drawers. It was the same set of drawers had had given Kim access to, once again. She had a whole set to herself, full of her underwear and bras and t-shirts and jeans and sleep shorts. "It seems like you had an eventful night."_

 _Kim shrugged her shoulders as she perched herself on the edge of Adam's bed. "I didn't want to lie to them," she admitted. "They're our friends, and Kevin is your partner, and…" she trailed off and gave Adam a sheepish look. "It just didn't seem right to hide it from them."_

 _That made Adam grin, and he crossed the room to press a tender kiss to Kim's lips. "Well they know now. There's no sense in being embarrassed about it now, right?"_

 _"I'm not embarrassed about it," Kim told him. "Not in the slightest. Everyone can know, and I wouldn't care. I just wasn't sure how you would feel about it…" She trailed off, suddenly unsure. Of course, they had been in an exclusive relationship for the past two months—it had been going on for longer than that, probably. After the way that Kim had shattered Adam's heart when she had broken off their engagement originally, however, Kim hadn't been sure how much he wanted their friends and family to know about their new-found relationship._

 _"Kim." Adam brushed his lips across hers and held her in his arms tightly. "I love you. I'm good with whatever you decide to do. It's up to you."_

 _Kim's heart thudded hard in her chest at Adam's confession. He loved her! He actually loved her. She supposed she had known it from the start, but it was gratifying to hear it. It was such an Adam Ruzek way to announce it, too—without any fanfare, as if it was the most obvious fact in the world. It made Kim's heart squeeze in her chest, and she smiled brightly at him._

 _Pulling him closer, Kim pressed her forehead against Adam's. "I love you," she told him. "And I'm glad that Kevin and Jay know. They're your friends, and they deserve to know what's happening."_

 _Adam exhaled slowly at Kim's statement. He traced his hands up and down her back, letting his gentle touch convey how he was feeling instead of using words. Smiling, Kim leaned into his touch and whispered those three words once again. Before, she was sure that she hadn't shared them enough. This time, she was determined to change it. He kissed her again, this one long and slow and tender._

 _"You're amazing," Adam breathed once their lips had separated. She smiled at him and tugged playfully at his ear. She moved her lips down his neck, towards where his pulse point was. Kim bit down lightly on the pulse that throbbing under her lips, and she grinned when Adam groaned._

 _"I doubt we really even have to tell them anything," Kim murmured as she ran her hands up and down his chest. "They did walk in on me lounging on your couch, wearing your clothes."_

 _"Kim, you're killing me," Adam told her. His grip tightened on her waist and he hauled her into his lap. He pressed a brief, hot kiss to her lips before he settled his head into the crook between her neck and shoulder. "You mean to tell me that you were waiting for me, on my couch, wearing my clothes?"_

 _Giggling, Kim slid her hands up Adam's chest. There were no words to describe the happiness and love she felt. As Adam gazed down at her with tender eyes, she knew that he felt the same way._

 _"Do you want me to kick them out?" she offered. "I'm sure, with a few well-placed hints, I could get them to leave."_

 _Adam laughed at that and hugged her to him, crushing her to his chest. Kim didn't mind in the slightest; in fact, it was one of the parts she had missed most about their relationship. There was nothing quite like an Adam Ruzek embrace._

 _"Nah, let them stay. We have more than enough Chinese food and beer, and we can eat and hang out before I make them leave so I can spend some time with my amazing, sexy girlfriend." Adam nuzzled his nose against her neck before he pressed his lips to her jaw. "We have all night, right?"_

 _"Right," Kim agreed as she leaned into his touch and kissed him again. "We have all night." And then some._

* * *

 **three.**

"So, what color scheme did you want to go with?"

"Color scheme?" Kim repeated as she arched an eyebrow in Erin's direction. "It's a birthday party. Why do we need a color scheme?"

"Because it's a _party_ ," Erin stressed. "Obviously." Erin had always pretended like she wasn't into decorating and planning, but the truth was, she really enjoyed it. They all remembered when she and Jay had moved in together so long ago, and how intense she had gotten with the decorating of their shared apartment. It was good to know that some things never changed.

"Yeah," Kim agreed. "A party for a baby that's turning a year old." She wanted a nice, quiet, family affair for Nate when he turned a year old. Sure, when Nate was older, he would have the pictures and videos that his parents would take to remember the party by. It was really the adults, however, that would truly remember the party for the baby. Kim felt that they didn't need some big extravaganza; Erin and Hailey, however, were determined to throw the celebration of the year.

"Exactly," Hailey said. "This is a really big deal. Plus, you know Adam is going to love it."

Kim exhaled slowly as she rolled her eyes towards the ceiling and prayed for patience. It was true; Adam had, not surprisingly, gotten way too into the party planning. He had even informed Kim the week before that he wanted to rent a bouncy house. Kim had laughingly reminded her husband that the party was for a year old baby, and she had laughed even harder at the disappointed look on Adam's face as he reluctantly agreed with her.

Needless to say, Kim was sure that Nate was going to have some epic birthday celebrations in the future.

"Can we just keep it simple?" Kim pleaded. She pulled her coffee towards her across the table, and frowned into the nearly empty mug. She was definitely going to need another cup if she was going t put up with the party planning talk. She was so going to make Hailey and Erin pay for it, too. "Just a nice cookout in the backyard, please."

Erin threw her hands up into the air. "We do that practically every weekend!" she exclaimed. "We need something that will make it _different_."

Eyeing Erin, Kim huffed in annoyance. "I liked you better when you weren't so gung ho on life and stuff."

The time away from Chicago had done Erin a world of good. She had gotten the help that she needed long ago, and she was continuing with it now that she had returned home. While she was still the Erin Lindsay that they knew and loved, she was decidedly more optimistic than she had been before. Erin absolutely adored Nate and the hope that he represented for the future, so she was especially excited to be planning his first birthday party.

"What if we had some kind of entertainment?" Hailey suggested as she waved a waiter towards the table. She ordered another round of coffee and a plate of pastries for their table, and Kim sent her thankful look. That same look turned to one of dismay when Hailey continued with, "Like a clown!"

"What? No way!" Kim shook her head vehemently. "I _hate_ clowns. You know that!" It wasn't a fear that she spoke about often, but Kim absolutely despised clowns. There was no way that she would ever agree to hire one for any of her children's—current or future—birthday parties.

"Oh." Hailey giggled and pressed a hand to her mouth. "Oops. Sorry."

Kim glared at her for laughing, but Hailey just placated her by passing her a new mug of coffee that their waiter had dropped off. Erin, meanwhile, had her phone out, and was scrolling through a Pinterest page titled " _Nate's First Birthday Bash_."

"So, no live entertainment," Erin agreed. "But what about a theme? Like, animals, or sports, or something like that."

Kim opened her mouth to protest the idea, but she made herself stop. A theme for the birthday party actually wasn't a bad idea. They could pick a relatively simple one, and it would keep the party planning team of Hailey and Erin off of her back.

"Baseball," Kim suggested. "What if we did a baseball theme?" Kim certainly enjoyed a good baseball game every now and then, and Adam was a diehard fan of the Cubs. Given that Nate's birthday was in late April, it was a perfect birthday theme for the little guy.

Erin nodded her head enthusiastically and began tapping away on her phone once again. "Perfect! And everyone can wear baseball jerseys!"

"Wait, what?" Kim's brow furrowed. She had no problem wearing a baseball jersey to Nate's party, and she knew that Adam would agree immediately. Nate already had several baby versions of all kinds of sports jerseys, so there wouldn't be an issue on that end, either. Still, Kim didn't think that Erin could force _everyone_ to wear a baseball jersey to Nate's party.

Grinning, Erin tucked her phone away and waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Kim. I've got it completely under control."

"We need baseball foods," Hailey added. "Hotdogs, popcorn, cotton candy. All of that fun stuff."

Kim took another long sip of her coffee as Erin and Hailey started discussing whether or not they needed to create games to the play at the party. She was going to need all of the patience—and coffee—that she could get.

* * *

 _Kim hadn't even lifted the mug of steaming coffee to her lips before the relentless pounding started on her front door._

 _Frowning, and still half asleep, Kim shuffled over towards the door to her apartment. She yanked it open, ready to yell at whoever was on the other side. It was seven o'clock on the only Saturday morning that she had off, and she had planned on enjoying the day to the fullest._

 _The words died on her lips when she saw Adam Ruzek standing in her hallway, however._

 _He grinned crookedly at her, his eyes twinkling. "Hey. I didn't wake you up, did I?"_

 _It was only then that Kim realized she was wearing on the t-shirts he had left at her apartment… and nothing else. She had boy shorts on under the shirt, but that was it. The expanse of her legs were bare to Adam's gaze, and she could practically feel his eyes on her like a heated caress._

 _Kim cleared her throat. "Um, no," she finally managed. She tugged on the hem of the shirt and wished she had thought to wear her sleep shorts. Thank god it was Adam who had been standing on the other side of her door, instead of someone else. "You didn't wake me up. I was just getting some coffee. Do you want some?"_

 _"Sure." Adam followed her into the apartment, shutting the door behind him. He went into the kitchen with her and leaned against the counter as she grabbed another mug from the cabinet and poured some coffee for him. She pushed it towards him, and he grinned. He always took his coffee as black and plain as could be, while Kim always dumped creamer into hers._

 _When they had dated the first time around, Adam had always stolen some of her coffee and then complained that it never tasted like the real thing. Despite Kim's constant teasing at his bitching, he continued to swipe sips from her coffee. He claimed that things always tasted better when he shared them with her, and of course that made her heart melt._

 _She could never resist him when he said adorable things like that._

 _While Adam was waiting for his own coffee to cool a little bit, he swiped Kim's mug from her and took a sip. Kim couldn't help the giggle that escaped her when Adam's nose wrinkled as he swallowed. She had prepared it as she always did, with just a touch too much of creamer. Adam had known that, of course, and it was more endearing than anything else that he drank from her mug still._

 _It made Kim's heart swell with love when she saw him do it, and it was only then that she realized that she hadn't kissed him yet. Stepping forward, she tugged the mug from his hands and set it aside before she stretched up onto her tiptoes and slipped her arms around his neck. She just barely caught sight of Adam's grin before she kissed him. He tasted like coffee, a little of his minty toothpaste, and something that was just purely Adam._

 _What she had intended to be a sweet good morning kiss quickly escalated into something passionate and heated. One of Adam's hands skimmed over her underwear-clad bottom before slipping under the pilfered shirt she wore. His large, calloused hand spread across the bare skin of her back, and she leaned into him, pressing as close to him as she could get._

 _Kim's fingers tangled in the short strands of his hair as Adam slipped his tongue into her mouth. She sighed into his mouth, still amazed that she got to touch him, feel him this way—it was something that she would never take for granted again._

 _She was rewarded when Adam slipped his other hand down her thigh, hitching her leg around his waist. Kim was positive that they were_ _ **this close**_ _to having sex against her kitchen counter, and she didn't really mind. With Adam's lips on hers, and his hands against her bare skin, she was down for just about anything._

 _Then Adam tore his lips from hers, breathing heavily. "I have to ask you something," he blurted._

 _Out of all the things Kim expected him to say in that moment, that certainly wasn't anywhere near the top of her list. Quirking an eyebrow, Kim slowly lowered her leg back to the floor. She rested her hands against Adam's chest and relished in the feel of the way his heartbeat thudded rapidly under her fingers. After all this time, she still had that effect on him, and it was extremely satisfying to know that._

 _"Okay." Kim pressed her lips against his cheekbone and smiled when the simple touch caused him to suck in his breath. "What's up?"_

 _"I know you have off today, and so do I. So I kind of came up with this plan—"_

 _"What plan?" Kim's lips moved across the stubble on his jaw, and she couldn't help but slip her fingers under the hem of his shirt. "Does it have anything to do with…_ _ **that**_ _?" She cast a pointed look at the front of Adam's pants, and she giggled when his cheeks flushed the faintest hint of red._

 _"Not originally," Adam muttered before he cleared his throat. "I actually, um…" His cheeks grew even redder, heading towards fire-engine red. Kim pressed her lips together, doing her best to be noble in her attempt not to laugh at how adorable Adam was being._

 _"I wanted to take you out," Adam finally said. His hands settled on her hips, his thumbs rubbing circles into the soft material of the shirt she had borrowed from him. "You know, like on a real date."_

 _" A real date?" Kim repeated, somewhat dumbly. She and Adam had never really done the whole conventional dating thing. They went to Molly's together, and they had had countless dinners at one another's apartments, but they had never gone out of their way to truly go out._

 _Kim realized, in that moment, that it was a turning point for them. After revealing the renewal of their relationship to Kevin and Jay, Adam wanted to take things a step further—he wanted to take her out, truly date her, as he should have done all those years ago._

 _Adam chuckled as realization came over her features, and he cupped her cheek. "Yeah. I had some plans for us today, if you're up for them. I'm pretty sure I can squeeze breakfast in, if you want to go and get dressed now."_

 _"Okay!" Kim pressed a kiss to Adam's cheek before she practically sprinted towards her bedroom. She felt giddy, uninhibited, and it was the same yet so very different from the first time she and Adam had been in a relationship. She stopped just short of the door and swung around to face Adam once again. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?"_

 _Adam grinned at her and pulled his own mug of coffee towards him, finally deeming it cool enough to drink. "No. It's a surprise."_

 _With a frown, Kim mentally went through neutral outfits in her closet. Maybe it was a holdover from when she had been a flight attendant, but she did care about her appearance and wanted to make sure she was prepared for whatever situation she might find herself in._

 _(Yes, that did include having a place to put her sidearm when she was considering an outfit.)_

 _"Can I at least have a hint?" Kim asked as she batted her eyelashes at him. She posed against the doorframe for Adam, relishing in the fact that his eyes zeroed in on her bare legs and the way his shirt rode up on her thighs. She was not above using the fact that she was wearing his shirt against him, and she wasn't afraid to admit it._

 _"Jeans would be fine," Adam relented. Then he retrieved something from a bag that Kim hadn't realized he was holding. He tossed the white wad of fabric towards her, and Kim caught it. Unrolling it, she discovered that she was a holding a Cubs jersey._

 _Adam had basically given their date away, but Kim was more than willing to indulge him. She grinned at him and then went into her room without shutting the door (so what if she gave Adam a glance of the lacy underwear she had changed into? She wanted to have a bit of fun, and Adam certainly didn't seem to mind). Twenty minutes later, Kim was ready to head out to breakfast._

 _"The Cubs game doesn't start until three o'clock," Adam revealed. "But I figured we could get breakfast and then wander around until the game started."_

 _The opportunity to wander around their city without being on a case was a rare treat for them, and it was one that Kim planned on taking full advantage of. So they went to a diner near Kim's apartment and ordered pancakes and hash browns and fruit and extra bacon and shared it all, eating off the plates spread out in the middle of the table instead of getting separate ones for themselves._

 _They stopped to get some coffee and then headed into the center of the city, going to all of the usual tourist spots. Adam even got someone to take a picture of them in front of Cloud Gate. They headed to the stadium not long after that, and they got beer and popcorn and settled in to some truly excellent seats so that they could watch the game._

 _All in all, it was a pretty perfect day._

* * *

 **four.**

Swiveling on the barstool, Adam adjusted Nate in his lap so that the little guy was facing the television mounted over the bar. Nate, unsurprisingly, wasn't that interested in the beginning of the baseball game and instead had his hands clenched around the squeaky toy Atwater had brought in.

Adam accepted the beer that Herrmann passed to him as Antonio arrived. Herrmann got another beer for both Atwater and Antonio, and they settled in to watch the start of the game before the rest of their friends to join them.

Severide and Casey came into Molly's halfway through the first inning. Casey had little Shae propped on his hip; the dark-haired little girl squealed with glee when she saw Nate. She pointed with one tiny hand while she tugged on her father's shirt with the other.

"Daddy! Baby!" she exclaimed.

Casey chuckled and set his daughter down. Adam shifted Nate in his arms, allowing enough space for Shae to climb up into his laugh so she could get a better look at Nate. Nate, for his part, calmly watched Shae as she played with his toy and grabbed at his little fingers and toes.

"I can't believe that you two bring your kids into a bar," Severide said, not for the first time. He loved to tease them for it.

"It's not a bar," Adam said immediately, as he always did. "It's a restaurant, too."

Casey slapped his hand on the back of Severide's head, but it only made him laugh. "Don't be a dick," Casey chided.

Shae's eyes went wide as she pointed a finger towards her father. "Daddy said bad word!"

The group of men burst into laughter, including Herrmann and Otis, where they were behind the bar. Casey covered his face with his hand and mumble under his breath before he pulled it away.

"She's like my own personal censor," Casey lamented. "I'm pretty sure she thinks it's funny when I curse, just so she can get me in trouble with Gabby."

Shae only proved his statement by smiling sweetly. Of course, Nate chose to punctuate that moment by yelling, "Duck!" The group broke into laughter once more, and Adam sighed. Maybe Kim had a point with the whole cursing around the baby thing.

Otis succeeded in distracting Shae by sliding a plate full of chicken nuggets and French fries towards her. Adam helped settle Shae into the empty stool next to him, and then the little girl happily dug into her food.

Adam retrieved a bottle from the diaper bag he always had on hand. The guys teased him endlessly about it, but Adam wasn't going to apologize for being prepared at all times. Plus, the diaper bag was cameo print, so that made it super cool and bad ass.

Cradling Nate in one arm, he put the bottle in the same hand and tried to angle it so that Nate could drink from it. It seemed to work, since Nate happily began to eat, leaving Adam's other hand free to drink his beer and eat some wings.

Atwater gave Adam a pointed look as he glanced between the baby and Adam. "You finally got the hang of one-handed feeding, have you?"

Adam frowned at his so-called friend. "Say what you want, but this is a lot harder than it looks." When Atwater only laughed, Adam shoved the bottle at him and then handed Nate over. The little guy let out a disgruntled cry at having his meal interrupted, so Atwater had to quickly get him the bottle before he got too upset.

Smiling smugly, Adam said, "If you think it's so easy, why don't you try it? Just consider it practice for when your kid gets here."

Atwater shifted Nate to one arm and tried to balance the bottle and the baby at the same time. The bottle continually slipped from his hand, causing both Adam and Antonio to laugh. Antonio had mastered one-handed feeding while eating many years ago, so he had no sympathy for Atwater.

It took a few tries, but Atwater finally managed to balance the bottle in the hand that was attached to the arm he was holding Nate with. Satisfied, Kevin reached for wing with his free hand…

…and promptly dropped a glob of hot sauce on Nate.

Luckily, it landed on Nate's bib. Still, that didn't keep Adam, Antonio, Casey, and Severide from busting out with laughter. Atwater hastily scrambled for some napkins to wipe up the hot sauce, but not before Adam snapped a picture and sent it off to Kim.

"Damn it," Atwater cursed as he dropped the chicken wing back on the plate and grabbed the bottle with his free hand. Nate didn't seem to know—nor care—that he had hot sauce on his bib. He kept drinking from the bottle, and his eyes remained trained on where his father was sitting.

Adam grinned at the little guy and made a funny face at him, causing Nate to smile around the bottle. Whenever Adam was in the same space as Nate, the baby always watched him. It was something that fascinated Adam to no end. How could this little person that he and Kim created love and adore him so much? Adam wanted to be deserving of the love that his son had for him, and he just hoped that he did right by Nate.

Pushing those somewhat heavy thoughts away, Adam tuned back into the conversation that was happening at the bar. Shae was staring at Atwater with wide eyes, having heard him curse. Her mouth was stuffed full of French fries and ketchup, however, so she couldn't verbally berate him. Severide was still heartily laughing, at both Atwater and the look on Shae's little face.

"Seriously, man?" Atwater demanded. He cast a look at Shae, who was watching him seriously, her little brow furrowed. It was obvious that he was trying his hardest not to curse again, which only made Severide laugh harder. "You can go screw yourself."

Severide managed to curtail his laughter long enough to say, "Dude, I can't believe that you can't feed the baby with one hand. It's not that hard."

"Really?" Atwater sputtered. Adam, Casey, and Antonio were trying—and failing—to hide their own laughter, and they did nothing to come to Atwater's defense, even when he sent them a pleading look.

"Fine," Atwater said when he realized that none of them would help him out. He stood up and walked several seats down to where Severide was sitting. He passed Nate over, bottle still in his mouth, to Severide and stood back. "You feed him with one hand, if you think it's so easy."

Severide confidently took little Nate into his arms. "I bet you the next round of beers that I'll get it right on the first try."

"You're on."

Adam, Casey, Antonio, Hermann, and Otis exchanged looks. Even Shae had a look on her face as she dipped a chicken finger into some ketchup. At her young age, she knew that something was about to go down, and she was eagerly waiting for the drama to unfold.

Shifting Nate easily into the crook of his left arm, Severide settled back in his chair. He expertly held the bottle in his left hand and tilted it so that Nate was able to successfully eat the rest of his meal. Atwater gaped at him as Severide picked up a beer with his free hand and drained the rest of it. He set the bottle aside and then picked up a chicken wing and sucked all the meat off of it in one bite.

"How in the hell did you learn how to do that?" Atwater demanded, even as Shae gasped at the use of yet another curse word.

Casey finally decided to take pity on his friend. "He babysits Shae all the time, man. You know that he watched her when she was baby. He's had plenty of time to practice one-handed bottle feeding."

Atwater cursed again, but this time it was under his breath so that Shae couldn't hear it. He waved his hand, gesturing for Otis to get another round for all of them.

Grinning, Adam settled back into his seat and divided his attention between the baseball game and his son.

* * *

 _Frowning, Kim dug through the drawer that was currently open in front of her. She was looking for a particular t-shirt, and she couldn't seem to find it anywhere. It wasn't in the drawer at Adam's apartment that she usually kept it in, and she hadn't seen it hanging amongst the things she had in his closet, either._

 _Kim shut the drawer she had been shuffling through and opened the one underneath it. The column of drawers to her left contained Adam's t=shirts, socks, and underwear, while the other half of the drawers belonged to her. She was sure that she hadn't hidden her favorite gray t-shirt among her socks, but she figured that it wouldn't hurt to check._

 _It was another five minutes of searching before Kim finally gave up. "Adam?" she called out into his apartment. "Babe, where's that gray t-shirt that I like to wear?"_

 _"Which one?" Adam yelled back. He was in the kitchen, making another pot of coffee. "You probably have fifty of them, at least."_

 _Kim rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, praying for patience. "The v-neck one!"_

 _Out in the kitchen, Adam sighed and went with the safest answer: "I did a load of laundry last night. It's probably in there."_

 _A moment later, Kim appeared from the bedroom, wearing only a pair of jeans and a white, lace bra. With the coffee now percolating away, Adam was free to watch as Kim moved comfortably through his apartment, half-dressed. She headed into the laundry room and couldn't have been in there for more than a few moments before Adam heard a triumphant "ah-ha!"_

 _Kim came out from the laundry room with the gray t-shirt in her hands. "I found it! You know, I think it's really cute how you separate the laundry and do whites, darks, and light colors, and—" Kim paused when she saw the way that Adam was staring at her, and her brow furrowed. "Why are you looking at me like that?"_

 _Adam stared at her for another long moment before a slow, sexy grin spread across his lips. "Move in with me."_

 _Blinking at him, Kim gave her head a little shake. There was no way that she had heard him correctly. "What?"_

 _"Move in with me."_

 _"Adam?"_

 _"Yes?"_

 _"I'm not wearing a shirt."_

 _At that, Adam burst into laughter, but Kim failed to see what was so funny. They had been dating again for the past eight months, and things had been better than ever. This was a momentous occasion in their new relationship, and she wasn't even wearing a shirt!_

 _"Adam!" Kim exclaimed. "This isn't funny!"_

 _Adam crossed the living to her and took the shirt out of her hands. He set it aside and then wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. "Yes, it is. Plus, I don't mind that you're not wearing a shirt. That'll just make it easier for when we have moving in together sex."_

 _Kim slipped her arms around his neck and pressed herself even closer to him. "So. You really want me to move in with you, huh?"_

 _"Of course I do," Adam said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Kim, seeing you walk around my apartment, half-dressed, is probably one of the sexiest things I've ever seen. I want to see that every morning. So." He leaned down and brushed his lips tenderly over hers. "Kim Burgess, will you move in with me?"_

 _Kim pulled Adam down so that she could kiss him properly. "Of course I will," she murmured against his lips._

 _He gave her such a bright smile that Kim's heart skipped a beat. He kissed her again before he said, "Excellent! Where do you want to have moving in together sex first? The living room, or the kitchen?"_

 _Kim dissolved into laughter as Adam scooped her up into his arms and headed into the kitchen. Clearly, he had already decided._

* * *

 **five.**

Pausing in her pacing, Kim checked the baby monitor clipped to her waist. Hearing nothing but the contended noise of a sleeping baby, she resumed pacing back and forth in the living room once again.

They had been working a pretty big case for the past two weeks—there were curls being abducted from clubs all over the city, and they were being sold into a sex trafficking ring. Kim and Hailey had gone undercover in one of the clubs, but their attempt at discovering who was abducting the girls had gone sideways. For whatever reason, the guys who had attempted to kidnap Kim and Hailey had knocked them both out with a blow to the head instead of taking them.

Kim and Hailey had been pretty confident that they hadn't been made, but something else had spooked the guys. On the other end of things, Adam and Atwater had managed to get in with a group of guys that were transporting the girls that had already been abducted. They had found out the leader of the ring, whomever he was, had been pissed that those doing the abductions were doing too many and had gotten noticed; they had been called away in the middle of trying to kidnap Kim and Hailey, hence the reason they had been knocked out and left alone.

Due to the blow to the head, Kim and Hailey had both been sent home early with orders to rest. Thus far, Kim had been less than successful with relaxing. She knew that both Adam and Kevin had missed their scheduled check-in time, and Voight had told her that he would let her know what was going on as soon as he heard something.

That had been three hours ago. Jay and Antonio were headed to Adam and Kevin's last known location, and Erin and Hailey where headed over to the Ruzek house to keep Kim and Nate company.

Without knocking, Erin entered the house with her arms full of pizza and beer. Despite the fact that it was now two o'clock in the morning, Kim welcomed the late night snack and drinks. At least it would keep her mind occupied.

"Don't worry," Erin said as soon as she saw the look on Kim's face. "They'll hear something soon. You know Jay and Antonio are going to do everything they can to find Adam and Kevin. Olinsky and Voight are checking around the clubs where you were attacked, to see if any other women had been abducted. They'll find them."

"I know." Kim sank down on to the couch and dragged her hands through her hair. "I just, I mean… damn it.

At the heart of it, Kim knew Adam was going to come home. She refused to consider any other option. After everything that they had been through together, there was no way that Adam wasn't going to come home, safe and sound.

Despite that repeated mantra, Kim couldn't keep herself from worrying. It wasn't the first time that Adam and Kevin had disappeared without contact. Kim was beginning to think that she should lojack the two of them.

They were now coming up on the six hour mark after Kevin and Adam had missed their check-in. At that point, the pizza had been eaten, and the beer had been split between the three of them. The first rays of sunlight were appearing over the horizon, but Kim didn't feel tired in the slightest. She was too on edge, and she needed to do something, instead of just sitting around.

She was sorely tempted to go into Nate's room. There was something comforting about watching her son sleep, especially since he looked so much like Adam. He was sweet and innocent and everything that was good in the world, and it was times like these that Kim needed to be reminded of that.

There was no way that she was going to risk waking the baby up, however. Whenever he slept for a full night, she and Adam were sure to take advantage of it.

Kim was just about to scoop up the discarded pizza boxes and empty beer bottles when Erin's phone dinged. She checked the text message that she had received and instantly went pale.

"What?" Hailey demanded when Kim didn't speak. She couldn't; she felt like her voice had gotten stuck in her throat, and her heart was thudding too loudly in her ears. "What is it?"

Erin licked her lips and swallowed hard before she glanced at Kim and then quickly looked away. "Jay and Antonio missed their check in, as well. They can't get a location on either of them. Voight wants me to come in."

"We're coming with you," Kim said immediately, while Hailey nodded her head vehemently. They both might have had headaches of epic proportions, but there was no way that they were going to be left out of the search for their suddenly missing teammates.

"I'm bringing Nate with me," Kim added as she left the pizza boxes and bottles forgotten on the coffee table. Instead, she went for the diaper bag she always had prepared, and pulled out the long length of fabric that allowed her to swaddle Nate to her chest. She'd have both hands free to use the computer, then. "The daycare doesn't open for another hour, so he can just stay with us until then."

Erin had no choice but to go along with the plan, and she helped Hailey clean up the living room while Kim went into the nursery and lifted a sleeping Nate into her arms. Somehow, he stayed asleep as she bundled him up and put him in his car seat. The three woman rode to the station together, and Kim brought Nate—car seat and all—up into Intelligence with her.

Hank and Alvin weren't the least bit surprised when they saw Kim and Hailey following Erin in. They were even less surprised to see that Nate was with them. In fact, for the first time all night, both men smiled at the sight of the baby.

"Do you want me to take him?" Alvin offered as Kim lifted Nate out of the car seat. He stirred slightly, but he still remained asleep. That was something the little guy had inherited from her. Adam had always joked that Kim would be able to sleep through the apocalypse.

Kim made sure that the long length of cloth was wrapped properly around her before she settled Nate into the little cradle the fabric created. Once he was secured, she took a seat at her desk and pulled her keyboard towards her. "No thanks," she said. "I need to have with me."

Alvin smiled and nodded his head once; he understood. He passed his hand over his shoulder, squeezing comfortingly before he joined Hank in his office. Meanwhile, Kim pulled up the last known pings on Adam, Kevin, Jay, and Antonio's phones. She knew that someone had to have checked that information before, but she felt better looking at it herself. She also wanted to make sure that their phones hadn't turned up anywhere in the last hour or so.

Another hour passed, with the five of them moving through the office as they called their contacts and checked through the info they had already gathered on the sex trafficking ring. Nothing was coming up, and the streets were almost unnaturally quiet. Kim knew that she should go drop Nate off at the daycare, but she couldn't bring herself to move. She liked having his comforting weight on her chest, and he was only just waking up. She would need to change him and give him a bottle soon, and she knew that the little break would be good for her.

Suddenly, Kim got a ping on Jay's phone. "Guys—" she began, and then stopped talking abruptly when the locations of Adam, Kevin, and Antonio's phones all popped up at the same place as Jay's.

At the same time, Platt ran up the stairs and into the pen. "I just got the call," she said quickly. "They found the boys! They're all at Chicago Med."

None of them stopped to ask questions. They jumped up—Kim, with Nate still attached to her chest—and ran out the door. They piled into Voight's truck and took the short drive over to Chicago Med. Platt had texted Alvin, letting them know that the boys were up on the second floor.

Kim was fully prepared to have to go into a room and find Adam getting patched up for some kind of injury. She expected that Jay, Antonio, and Kevin would all be in a similarly injured state. Why else would they be at Chicago Med?

What she hadn't expected was the burst into the waiting room on the second floor and find the four men standing there. They were dirty, and a little bruised and battered, but none the worse for wear.

Erin was the first to speak. "What the hell happened?" she demanded as she stood in the doorway of the waiting room.

The four men exchanged looks, and they silently agreed that Antonio should be the one to speak. "Atwater and Ruzek were on to the lead to get to the head guy. They were moving the biggest shipment of girls yet, and the one in charge—his name is Tenning—was going to be there. Somehow, Atwater sweet-talked them into letting him and Adam drive the transport."

"We got a little carried away," Kevin admitted. "We got the transport, saw the girls… there were at least thirty of them, you guys. All girls that had been taken from the clubs. There were some that hadn't even been reported as missing yet. They were going to cram them into this tiny truck…" He shook his head slowly. "It was horrible."

"We knew that we had to get them out of there," Adam continued. Kim couldn't take her eyes off of him. He had a dark bruise coloring the left side of his jaw, and another bruise was forming under his right eye. There was dried blood across his knuckles, and he looked so bone-weary and tired that Kim just wanted to pull him into her arms and never let go.

Adam dragged his hands through his hair. "They were tracking the truck and they had another car following us, so we had to make sure that we got rid of them. Tenning wanted to look the girls over before we went on our way, so we had to make sure to stop so that we didn't raise any red flags before we got the girls to safety."

"That's when we realized that Jay and Antonio were nearby," Kevin added. "We snuck them on to the truck when Tenning was looking for the girls."

"They kept one of the girls with them in the car following the transport, as a sort of insurance policy to make sure that the drivers didn't do anything stupid," Antonio explained. "We didn't know about that, so it only added a complication. Tenning was the one who made us all pull over on the side of the road about an hour after we left. We're still not sure why, but…" He shrugged his shoulders. "It gave us the element of surprise."

"We were able to apprehend the guards and Tenning," Jay said. "They had no idea that Dawson and I were in the truck, which helped." He smiled then, even though it clearly hurt with this split lip. "You should have seen the way that Adam laid Tenning out. It was pretty cool."

"We cuffed Tenning and his goons and brought the girls here to get the help that they needed. We were going to call, but I guess Halstead's brother beat us to it," Kevin added. "Tenning and the other guys are being held downstairs, awaiting transport to a cell."

Hank stared at the four men for a long moment. Finally, he said, "Good work. You saved the lives of all of those women tonight." He raised a threatening finger in their direction. "But if you ever go that long without checking in again, I'll kick your asses."

That got the men to crack smiles, and they separated off into their groups. Erin went to Jay's side, with Hailey following to check on her partner. Kevin went off to the other side of the waiting room so that he could call Elise and let her know that he was alright. Olinsky was with Antonio, and Kim crossed the waiting room to stand in front of Adam.

He grinned down at her, and his gaze was focused on her chest. Not because he was checking her out—although he was probably trying to, anyway—but because of the fact that their baby was still strapped to her chest.

"You brought Nate with you?" he asked.

"Of course I did," Kim stated. "I needed him. You scared the shit out of me, Adam."

Adam's eyes softened, and he reached out to cup her cheek. She leaned into his touch was thankful that she got to feel it. "I'm sorry, darlin'," he murmured. "Forgive me?"

"Always," Kim whispered. She cleared her throat and then poked his chest once, causing Adam to smile again. "But don't ever do that again, you jackass."

Adam gave her a cheeky, two-fingered salute. "Yes, ma'am. Now, let me see my little guy."

"Good." Kim expertly pulled Nate out of the wrap and handed the baby over to Adam. She reached into the diaper bag and extracted a bottle. "You can feed him, too."

Adam settled into one of the chairs at the waiting room while the rest of the Intelligence department milled around them. They still had to get checked out, because Halstead's brother had insisted on being on the safe side and wanted to look over the minor injuries the four men had gotten in their fight with Tenning and his men. Now that they were all together again, they didn't mind waiting.

Seeing her husband feed their son, Kim couldn't help herself. She pressed her fingers to Adam's cheek, and he looked up at her. She ducked down, pressing her lips to his in a hard, passionate kiss. Adam leaned up in his chair, straining to get closer to her.

Still, Kim knew that they were in a public place, and she had to wait until they got home to properly show Adam how thankful she was that he had returned in one piece. "I love you, Adam Ruzek," she whispered against his lips when she pulled away. "Thank you."

Adam grinned at her. She saw that he had managed to kiss her without disturbing the bottle that Nate was still drinking from, and she was mightily impressed. Somehow, that turned her on even more. She found daddy Adam Ruzek to be incredibly sexy, and, judging from the look in his eyes, he knew it.

He knew what she was thanking him for, as well. It was something that they had started the second time they dated. It was a sweet sentiment that meant a lot to both of them, and Adam knew exactly what she meant by it.

"Always," he whispered, before he added, "I love you too, Kim Ruzek."

* * *

 _Kim sprinted through the halls of Chicago Med, unwilling to let anyone or anything stop her. She as on a mission to get to room number 345 as fast as possible, and nothing was going to get in her way._

 _When Kevin had called her and had informed her that Adam had been stabbed, Kim was positive that her heart had stopped. She hadn't been that scared in a very long time, and she could barely hear Kevin telling her that the wound wasn't very deep, and only required a few stitches. Still, they were keeping him in the hospital overnight for observation, but Kevin had figured that Kim would want to be with Adam._

 _Kevin was right, of course. Kim had barely taken the time to put on shoes before she was out the door, on her way to Chicago Med. Connor had seen her on her way in, and she had paused just long enough for him to tell her what room Adam was in before she took off again, running up all three flights of stairs to the floor that Adam was on._

 _Will and Natalie were both standing outside of Adam's room; it was almost like they had expected her. Kim was practically at a full-on run to Adam's room, and she was prepared to go through both Will and Natalie to get to Adam. Will wouldn't let her, though. He blocked her, and Kim was too frantic to even dodge him properly._

 _"Kim," Will said as he caught her by the shoulders. "I need you to relax. You need to slow down and take a couple of deep breaths."_

 _"Adam will be just fine," Natalie assured her. "His vitals are great, and the wound will heal nicely. He's just going to need to take it easy for a couple of weeks."_

 _Kim forced herself to slow down, and she took a few deep breaths when she heard Natalie's reassuring words. Adam was going to be okay. His stab wound wasn't that serious, and he was going to be just fine. She refused to think about what could have happened, because there was no use in going down that dark road. Adam was alive and he was going to heal. That was all that mattered._

 _"Can I see him now?" Kim asked. She sent Will a wry look. "Or do you plan on making me wait any longer?"_

 _Will chuckled as he released Kim's shoulders and stepped aside. "Go ahead. I'm sure he's been waiting for you. He won't even let us give him a proper dose of pain medication, because he didn't want to be knocked out before you got here."_

 _Kim rolled her eyes as she pushed the door open to Adam's room. That was just like him, to be such a difficult patient. She wasn't surprised that he was already making demands, and she had no doubt that he was driving everyone in Chicago Med crazy. He was such a bear when he was injured._

 _"Hey." Adam was grinning as she stepped into the room, and he had pulled up his hospital gown, bearing his abdomen to her gaze. Normally, she would take the time to admire the six-pack and cut muscles. This time, however, her gaze was stuck on the thick, white bandage tapped to the left side of his abdomen, just under his ribs._

 _"Look, I'm going to have a scar!" Adam exclaimed. "It's going to be so badass."_

 _Kim gaped at him, torn between laughing and wanting to hit him. Her turbulent emotions got the better of her, however, a sob escaped her lips before she could stop it. She pressed her hand to her mouth and blinked away the tears that had suddenly formed._

 _"It's not funny," she told him seriously._

 _"Hey," Adam repeated, but this time, his voice was much softer. "Come here." He extended his hand and only winced slightly at the movement. Kim crossed the room and stopped next to the bed, sliding her hand into his. His fingers wrapped around hers, and Kim couldn't pull her eyes away from those familiar, calloused finger tips as they squeezed her own._

 _"I'm sorry," Adam said. "I didn't mean to scare you."_

 _Kim exhaled slowly and then sank down into the chair that was situated next to Adam's bed. She was sure that this was where Kevin had sat when he had called her earlier. "When Kevin called me… Adam, I was so scared. I didn't know… I mean, I know he said that you would be alright, but hearing that you were stabbed…" The tears formed in her eyes again, threatening to spill over. She leaned forward, pressing her forehead into the mattress next to Adam's hip. A shaky breath escaped her, and her shoulders slumped._

 _She knew she was crying; her tears soaked into the slightly scratchy sheets she was pressing her face to. Her shoulders were shaking, and even though she knew that Adam was okay, she couldn't make herself calm down. Kim felt his hand move over her shoulders, stroking tenderly, before he buried his fingers in her hair. He rubbed the pads of fingers against her scalp, and the familiar touch helped to ground her._

 _Another few minutes passed before Kim finally lifted her head. She was sure that her mascara was smudged around her eyes, and she knew that her eyes were red and puffy, as well. Still, she brushed her hair way from her face and let out a little sigh as Adam moved his hand from her hair to her cheek. She covered his hand with her own and leaned into his palm, closing her eyes._

 _"I love you, Adam Ruzek," Kim declared. "Thank you for coming back to me."_

 _"Always," Adam told her, and she knew that he meant it. He would do everything in his power to return to her, just as she would do the same._

 _"So, I've got a question for you," Adam said after the moment passed. Kim opened her eyes and looked down at him with curiosity clear on her face. What could he possibly want to know at that moment? "Do you have any plans two nights from now?"_

 _"You mean, any other plans besides taking care of you?" Kim said. "No, not really."_

 _Adam huffed dramatically and rolled his eyes. "Do you think you can 'take care of me'"—he made quotes with his fingers— "and have dinner with me at the same time?"_

 _"Adam, you can't possibly stand at the stove and cook while you're recovering from a stab wound that you just received_ _ **today**_ _—"_

 _"Darlin', relax. My original plan was to cook, but I have to adjust. I'll just order in." Adam squeezed her fingers reassuringly, and, even lying on the hospital bed, he looked so sure of himself that Kim had no choice but to agree._

 _So the next night, she somehow found herself wearing a dress while Adam had managed to get dressed in pair of slacks and a button down shirt. Kim had protested that it was too much, but Adam wouldn't let her ruin the plans he had clearly put a lot of thought in. So Kim kept her protests to herself and answered the door when the food from their favorite Mexican place had arrived._

 _Even though Kim insisted on checking his wound every fifteen minutes, they still had a nice meal. Kim was, admittedly, still a little emotional about receiving the phone call about Adam being the hospital two days before, but it helped that Voight had given her a week off so that she could help Adam around the apartment. Adam, of course, was on medical leave for the foreseeable future, but it was something that he refused to acknowledge or talk about. It was a little amusing how much he hated being on bed rest, actually._

 _"Come outside with me," Adam coaxed once they were finished eating. There was a small balcony off of their living room. It was one of the reasons that Adam had chosen the apartment in the first place, and once Kim had moved in, it had become her favorite spot. She had decorated the space with all sorts of plants and flowers and a sweet little couch that she liked to curl up and read books on. The balcony offered a beautiful view of the city, as well—especially at sunset. Adam would often be on the couch with her, whenever he got the chance._

 _"Adam, maybe you should go lie down—" Kim began. This was the most activity he'd had since he'd gotten stabbed, and Kim didn't want him to overdo it._

 _Adam waved his hand. "I'll sit down when we get out there." He sent her that adorable half smile over his shoulder. "Promise."_

 _Unable to resist him, Kim followed Adam out onto the balcony and settled on to the little couch with him. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side, grinning when he realized that Kim had situated herself on his right side on purpose. Even though it wasn't his injured side, she was still extremely careful as she settled into him._

 _They sat there for a few moments in a comfortable silence, watching as the sun set over their city. "I love you, Kim," Adam suddenly said. "You know that?"_

 _"Of course I do," Kim told him. She felt it in every touch, every look, in the way that Adam kissed her and held her at night. She knew that he loved her from the way he made her coffee just the way she liked in the morning, and the way that he perched himself on her desk while she was eating lunch at work._

 _There were other ways that he showed his love, too, in even bigger gestures: it was in the way that he put himself between her and any danger than came across, even though he knew that she could take care of herself. His love was there every time a shot was fired, and his eyes immediately sought her out to make sure that she was okay. She felt it every time his fingers brushed hers while they were out in the field and they were dealing with a difficult case. His love was always there, and she always felt it._

 _"I love you too, Adam," Kim said. Suddenly afraid that she didn't show it as much as he showed her, she shifted closer to him on the couch and took his face in her hands. "I know I don't show it as much, but I really do, and—" She stopped talking when Adam started laughing._

 _"Are you kidding me, Kim? Of course you show me that you love me. Every time you don't kick me off your desk when I sit on it, I know you love me. When you let me steal sips of your coffee and eat your food, when you remind me to wear my jacket even though I know you hate it, when you stop me from saying stupid things to our teammates, I know you love me." He covered one of her hands with his own as his eyes bore into hers. "Don't ever doubt that."_

 _Kim exhaled in relief and closed her eyes briefly while she squeezed his fingers. His next words nearly shattered her heart, but in the best way possible. Her love for him only grew, and she resolved to show him—and tell him—way more often._

 _"You saved me, Kim Burgess. All those years ago, when I first met you, you saved me. And you've done it so many times since then, too."_

 _Kim shook her head slowly as she felt tears burn in her eyes. "Maybe, but_ _ **you're**_ _the one who's been saving_ _ **me**_ _, Adam. When I first joined Intelligence, things were dark and I was still trying to recover from what happened to my sister and come to terms with the things we face in Intelligence… You saved me more times than I can count."_

 _"It's because I love you," Adam said easily. "I never wanted you to feel like you were alone." He smiled a little as his fingers stroked her cheek. "You always had me, even if you didn't want me."_

 _"I always wanted you," Kim whispered. She pressed her forehead to his. "Even when I didn't want to admit to myself, even when I pretended that I didn't, I wanted you. Always."_

 _"Well, that's good to know," Adam said as he pulled away slightly. "Because that it makes it a lot easier to ask this question."_

 _Kim was so confused as she watched Adam slide from the couch and get down on one knee before her, she forgot to berate him for moving in such a way that could injure him further. She stared at him with wide eyes as he took one of her hands—her left one—in his own._

 _"Adam. What are you doing?"_

 _Adam reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small box covered in blue velvet. "Kim Burgess, will you marry me?"_

 _The ring he presented her with was different from the one he first proposed to her with—that ring had too many bad memories attached to it. This one, though… this one was gorgeous._

 _The princess cut diamond was bigger than the last one, but not in a gaudy way. It was a solitaire stone, set on a slim band of smaller diamonds. It took Kim's breath away, and it touched her to know that Adam had picked something so beautiful for her._

 _"Yes!"_

 _The word burst from Kim's lips, and she beamed down at him. Adam grinned at him, his face so bright that she wasn't sure who was smiling harder: her or him. He slid the ring onto her finger and then moved to stand and pull her into his arms at the same time, but the movement pulled at his stab wound, and he winced._

 _"Oh my god!" Kim jumped to her feet and helped Adam stand up. "I can't believe that you were kneeling while you were recovering from a stab wound! Are you crazy, Adam?"_

 _Adam gave her a half-amused, half-exasperated look. "I'm pretty sure that I handled it, Kim."_

 _"Still. You shouldn't have." Kim stopped suddenly, with her hands holding on to both of his. "Wait a minute. You didn't propose to me because you got stabbed, did you?"_

 _"Kim. Seriously?" Adam gave her a pointed look. "I've had this planned for_ _ **months**_ _now. Getting stabbed just forced me to alter my plan a little."_

 _Kim knew that he was telling her the truth. Her emotions were all over the place, so he could understand where she was coming from. Still, she must have looked a little skeptical, because he said, "Do you have any idea what day it is?"_

 _"Um. March twelfth?"_

 _Adam's lips turned up in a smile. "Yes, it is March twelfth. It's also the day that we first went on patrol together."_

 _"Wait, you mean…" Kim gasped, and Adam's smile broadened. "You mean, when Olinsky put you on patrol with me?"_

 _"That's exactly what I mean." Adam pulled Kim closer and slid his arms around her waist. "That was the first time I realized that I had a crush on you. I had no business feeling anything for you, but I did anyway. The more time we spent together after that, the more I realized that I didn't want to stop the feelings I had for you. Things haven't changed since then."_

 _"Damn it, Adam Ruzek." Stretching up on to her tiptoes, Kim pressed her lips to Adam's. Adam tried to deepen the kiss but Kim pulled back just enough to say, "I love you," before he finally kissed her properly._

 _Later, when they had to go to the hospital because their engagement sex had caused Adam's stitches to rip open, neither of them could stop telling people that they were engaged._

* * *

 **six.**

Kim finished buttoning the miniature version of the Cubs baseball jersey that had been specially ordered for Nate. She smoothed his unruly, dark blonde hair back and tired to blink back the tears that had suddenly formed in her eyes. Her little boy was officially a year old, and today was the day of his birthday party.

Even though Nate already had a baby version of a Cubs jersey, Erin had ordered a custom made one with Nate's name on the back, along with the number 1. She had ordered custom jerseys for all of them, with their names and their own numbers. Kim had just decided to go with the flow, and she had to admit that her jersey was cute as hell.

Lifting Nate into her arms, she blew a raspberry on his cheek and smiled when he laughed loudly. He was officially ready for his party, and she knew that it was already going strong in the backyard.

"The birthday boy is here!" Erin exclaimed from her spot on Jay's lap as Kim entered the backyard. The crowd immediately burst into a chorus of "Happy Birthday", and Nate smiled and clapped his hands together. He knew he was the center of attention, and he loved it. The little guy was such a ham, and it was adorable.

Adam was at their side in an instant, looking incredibly handsome in his Cubs jersey. He pressed a kiss to Kim's lips before he swept Nate up into his arms and began to fly him around the backyard like an airplane. "Happy birthday, little man!" Adam said as he zoomed past all of his honorary aunt and uncles. Nate's excited laughter rang through the yard, and Kim crossed the backyard to where Erin was watching with a smile on her face.

"Thank you for this, Erin," Kim said. "You did an amazing job planning this party." It was true. There was an honest-to-god popcorn machine, complete with a little machine that dispensed yellow butter over the warm popcorn. Hank was manning the grill, putting out enough hot dogs and burgers to feed an army. Erin had even hired someone to make cotton candy, and another person to give out soft-serve ice cream in bowls shaped like baseball helmets. If the detective thing didn't work out for Erin, Kim was convinced that she should take up party planning as a career.

"Nate is lucky to have you in his life," Kim said, even as Erin claimed that it was nothing and she was happy to do it.

"It's true," Jay agreed. He pressed a sweet kiss to Erin's cheek. "You did a great job with this party. I bet Nate will feel like he can remember it when he's older, just because we're going to talk about it so much."

Kim left the happy couple and got herself some pink cotton candy. She was snacking on the sweet confection when Adam joined her again, with Nate now on his shoulders. Nate was keeping himself balanced by gripping Adam's hair in his tiny hands, but Adam didn't seem to mind.

"Mama," Nate demanded when he saw the pink cotton candy she was holding. He inquisitive gaze clearly stated that he wanted to know what she had, and his eyes went wide when Kim placed some of the cotton candy on her tongue and showed Nate how it dissolved.

Nate squealed, and Kim plucked a tiny piece of the cotton candy off and fed it to Nate. He loved the sweet taste of the treat and was amazed at the way it disappeared in his mouth. He gripped Adam's hair tighter in his little fingers and bounced up and down on his shoulders. Adam winced and reached up to loosen his grip slightly.

"Play nice up there, little man," Adam said. "That hair is attached to my head, you know."

Kim laughed and then offered some of the cotton candy to Adam. There was naughty twinkle in his eyes as he ate it, nipping at her fingers before he pulled away.

"Thanks for sharing," Adam said.

"With you? Always," Kim told him.

"Hey!" Kevin called before Adam could lean down and kiss her. "Would the two of you stop being gross for a second and come over here so we can have cake and sing Happy Birthday to your kid?"

Despite the fact that his year-old son was on his shoulders, Adam flipped his middle finger at Kevin before he wrapped an arm around Kim's waist and hauled her towards him, laying a passionate kiss on her lips that she felt all the way to her toes. Of course, the entire time he made sure that Nate was safely balanced on his shoulders, and the crowd of their friends and family applauded and hooted and hollered as Adam kissed her.

"You know," Kim panted once Adam finally let her up for air. "It's probably a good thing that Erin and Jay are taking Nate for the night. I think we're going to need all of the alone time we can get." She ran her hand down his chest to prove her point before she headed over to the cake to light the single candle planted in the middle of the vanilla icing.

That was one of things Erin had insisted on while she had planned the party. She stated that she and Jay were going to take Nate for the night, because "the parents deserved a party, too." Neither Kim nor Adam were going to argue with her… though they did plan on calling both Jay and Erin numerous times, just to ensure that Nate was okay.

Once the candle was lit, Adam approached, with Nate now shifted into his arms. He held Nate close to the cake, and the baby's eyes widened as he looked at the flame of the candle. He was completely entranced by the flickering candle, and when the Happy Birthday song came to the end, instead of blowing the candle out, Nate reached for it with his tiny hand.

Adam jerked him out of reach, and both he and Kim leaned forward to blow the candle out at the same time. For a moment, Nate looked as if he was going to burst into tears. Adam headed off the crying by popping a spoonful of icing into Nate's mouth. Instead of crying, Nate immediately became distracted by the taste of the sweet, creamy vanilla icing.

"Mmmmm," Nate said, imitating the noise that Kim was making as she ate her own spoonful of icing.

The cake was cut up and distributed amongst the party goers. Kim shared her piece with Nate, but he was more interested in squeezing the icing between his fingers and eating it than he was in the actual cake. When all was said and done, Nate probably had more icing than Kim and Adam put together.

Adam set Nate on the ground and watched as he toddled on wobbly feet over to where Antonio and Sylvie were. His eyes were bright and wide, and he was chattering a mile a minute with words that no one could understand. The kid was clearly on sugar high, but it was his first birthday, so they were all going to indulge him.

Kim settled into Adam's side as he slipped his arm around her waist. "Wow, I really do not envy Erin and Jay having to take care of him tonight."

Adam waved his hand dismissively. "He'll last a couple more hours, and then he'll crash hard. You know that. Besides, we don't have to worry about them." He ducked his face into Kim's neck and pressed a kiss just under her pulse point. "We'll have other things to occupy our time."

Kim giggled and curled her fingers into Adam's shirt, pulling him closer to her. Across the yard, Jay and Erin had joined Antonio and Sylvie. They watched the young couple laugh and kiss, and then Jay took a twenty out of his wallet and slapped it on the table before him.

"Okay. Who wants to take bets on whether or not Nate is getting a little brother or sister tonight?"

* * *

 _Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Kim couldn't believe that this day had finally arrived._

 _It was here. The day that she was getting to marry Adam Ruzek._

 _It had seemed that she had waited forever for this moment, and it was even more amazing that she was here, in her wedding gown, waiting to walk down the aisle. So many years ago, she never thought that she would be here, and yet here she was, on the happiest day of her life. Somehow, despite all the obstacles that they had to go through, they had made it here._

 _Now they had their future together to look forward to._

 _"Oh my god, Kim," Erin breathed. She was one of Kim's bridesmaids, along with Kim's sister, Hailey, and Platt. "You look amazing."_

 _Everyone made noises of agreement, and Kim took in her appearance once again. Her dress was something that they found at a vintage wedding boutique, of all places. It was strapless, with a sweetheart neckline and a corseted lace bodice. The tulle skirt was full, but still allowed Kim to move easily. Her hair was swept up in a loose, romantic twist, and her makeup was light and airy. She held a bouquet of light blue and white peonies._

 _Her bridesmaids looked amazing, as well. They were wearing strapless, airy dresses in a light blue that matched the peonies in her bouquet. The bridesmaid were carrying bunches of white tulips that went along perfectly with her spring wedding._

 _"You look like a princess," Zoe added. While her niece was too old to be a flower girl, Kim had still wanted Zoe to be a part of her wedding party. Zoe was wearing a miniature version of the bridesmaid dress, and she would be walking down the aisle with the rest of the bridal party._

 _There was a knock on the door before Kevin opened it and stuck his head in. "We have exactly three minutes until you guys need to line up." He snapped his fingers. "Let's get moving."_

 _He quickly shut the door behind him before anyone could respond, causing Hailey to roll her eyes. "You know, he's taking this whole wedding planner thing way too seriously."_

 _As soon as Kim and Adam had announced their engagement to their friends and family, Kevin had declared that he would take over wedding planning, so that they could "actually get shit done this time." While both Kim and Adam assured Kevin that they definitely planned on making it down the aisle this time, they let him have his fun. Kevin certainly knew how to put together a party, and he had helped plan their wedding to perfection._

 _"Okay!" Erin clapped her hands together and hustled everyone over to the door. Hailey was first, followed by Erin, Zoe, and then Kim's sister. Kim, of course, would be the last to walk down the aisle with her father._

 _Kevin swung the door open right on time, and they all headed over to the double doors leading into the church. Piano music drifted softly through the open doors, cuing the bridesmaids to begin their walk down the aisle. Kim slipped her arm through her father's and took a deep breath as the wedding march began._

 _All of their friends and families were standing as Kim made her way down the aisle. Even though she was aware of all of the people around her, Kim only had eyes for Adam._

 _He looked so incredibly handsome, standing at the end of the aisle in his tuxedo. What really caught her attention, however, was the look on his face. Kim had never seen a look of such true, pure love before, and she was sure that that same look was reflected on her own face._

 _Everything that she and Adam had been through had all led up to this exact moment. Through all the hurt and lies and the heartbreak they had been through, they had manage to overcome it all, and now they were getting married._

 _Finally reaching the end of the aisle, Kim smiled brightly and slipped her hands into Adam's._

 _Later, after they were pronounced man and wife and kissed, Adam spun Kim into his arms as he led her around the dance floor for their first dance. Unable to help herself, Kim stretched up until she was able to press her lips against Adam's. They shared a kiss that was maybe a little to passionate for the public space they were in, but it wasn't like anyone cared. Kim and Adam were newlyweds, after all._

 _"What do you say if we just skip the rest of the reception and headed up to the honeymoon suite, wife?" Adam suggested with a waggle of his eyebrows._

 _Kim giggled and rested her head against Adam's chest. "I think Kevin might kills us if we miss his dinner."_

 _"True," Adam agreed. Somehow, Kevin had some pull with one of the best chefs in Chicago. He had agreed to make the food for the wedding, and Kim was really looking forward to what was sure to be an amazing meal._

 _"I'd say that we need to stick around for another two hours, max. Do you think you can handle that, husband?"_

 _Adam gave her that adorable half smile she had fallen in love with so long ago. "Yeah, I think I can manage that."_

* * *

 **seven.**

"What about Claire?"

Kim wrinkled her nose as she looked at the pink bundle tucked safely in Adam's arms. "I'm not really feeling Claire, honestly. She doesn't seem like a Claire."

Adam chuckled. He remembered this conversation from when Nate was born. Speaking of, the nearly two year old little boy was currently passed out on the hospital bed, curled up next to Kim. The excitement of staying up late and getting to meet his new little sister had finally caught up with him, and he had fallen asleep as soon as Kim and Adam had started discussing names.

Kim had started experiencing the early signs of pregnancy a few weeks after Adam's party. She held off for another two weeks before announcing her suspicions to Adam. She had taken four pregnancy tests with Adam by her side after that, and it was confirmed: she was pregnant once again.

As soon as she could, Kim had found out that she and Adam were having a girl. Of course, that thrilled them to no end, especially since Elise had given birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl two weeks after Nate's birthday party. Elise and Kevin had named her Elizabeth, and Kim was already planning play dates for her daughter and little Lizzie.

"She looks like a Lucy," Adam suddenly said as he gazed down at the infant in his arms. She had delicate features with round cheeks and pink lips that reminded him so much of Kim. She was going to be beautiful, just like her mother.

The name made Kim stop and think. "Hmm. Lucy Ruzek. Lucy Nicole Ruzek."

Adam grinned at her and settled on the other side of the hospital bed. It was a cramped fit, with the entire Ruzek family sitting on the bed together, but they managed it. Kim curled into Adam's side and made sure that Nate wasn't in danger of falling off the bed. Adam propped little Lucy on his chest, and she made a contended, sleepy noise and didn't wake up.

"Thank you," Adam murmured as he pressed his lips to Kim's temple.

She smiled as she closed her eyes and snuggled further into his side. She didn't need to ask him what he was thanking her for, because she felt the same way. She had everything she ever wanted: her dream career, the love of her life, and her family. She and Adam had worked hard as hell to get to this point, and Kim wouldn't change a single thing that had happened.

"I love you," Kim whispered.

Later, everyone from Intelligence would descend upon Chicago Med so that they could meet the newest addition to the Ruzek family. Hank and Alvin would act like doting grandfathers, Platt would probably cry a little bit and pretend like she wasn't, while Kevin would introduce Lizzie to her new best friend. Antonio would already start telling stories to Lucy about her parents, and Jay and Erin would spoil the new baby endlessly.

For now, though, it was just Adam, Kim, and their two babies. And it was perfect.

* * *

 **This totally got away from me, but I'm really not sorry about it. Kim and Adam deserve their happy ending, and I hope you enjoyed my version of it. Thanks for reading!**


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